501: Success in Pet Care for Neurodivergent Entrepreneurs with Ilana Engel
Have you ever wondered how neurodivergence can shape the way a business is run? In this interview, Ilana Engel, owner of Park Slope Pups, shares her journey as a neurodivergent business owner with ADHD. She discusses the unique challenges and strengths that come with managing a pet care business while being neurodivergent. Ilana emphasizes the importance of using tools and strategies, like technology and structured methods, to succeed. She also highlights the benefits of hiring neurodivergent staff and the need to break down stigmas and misconceptions.
464: Minimizing Distractions
What grabs your attention? At times, our focus is hijacked by external forces, such as notifications or phone calls, or internal, as we attempt to fill time or divert our thoughts from the task at hand. We discuss the impact of these distractions and share insights into how these constant pings disrupt focus and productivity. We offer strategies to manage and minimize such distractions and highlight the need for strategic time management to improve efficiency and reduce overwhelm.
450: You Need a Task Manager: Tracking Stuff in Your Biz
How do you stay organized in your business? The options are pretty limitless. Everything from post-it notes, to reminder apps on your phones, or even just trying to remember things yourself. However, what if you find those just aren’t working? Today, we break down how using a task manager can help you be more productive, tackle bigger projects, and stop worrying you’ve forgotten something!
330: You Need A Not-To-Do List
What is a not-to-do list, and why do you need one? As small business owners, we have a lot on our plate and things that demand our attention. Being pulled in too many directions means we lose focus on the important things. Building a not-to-do list, we remove obligations from our days and are better able to refine what our actual duties are, while also breaking bad habits that waste time and money.
326: Mental Preparedness
Why is dog walking and pet sitting such a mental burden? It’s not just the worry of meeting a client's expectations or concerns about missing a visit. We break down how the pet care industry is the perfect storm of task switching, multi-tasking, and distractions. Becoming more mentally prepared takes planning and reviewing not just your schedule, but also every visit. Also, standardization of visits and routines (to the extent possible) helps control the environmental impacts of going from client to client.